Primary Splenic Hodgkin Lymphoma and its Prognosis: A Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Primary Splenic Lymphomas (PSL) constitute an extremely uncommon variety of splenic neoplasm and can present with grave complications such as splenic rupture. Hodgkin Lymphomas (HL), a type of hematopoietic neoplasm, are typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 30 years and present with supra-diaphragmatic lymphadenopathy, often accompanied by systemic B symptoms. A histopathological diagnosis involving Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in an inflammatory background is crucial. However, other differentials such as reactive hyperplasia, infectious mononucleosis, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or various other lymphomas may mimic Hodgkin disease both clinically and histologically. Therefore, accurate diagnostic evaluation of Hodgkin lymphoma is crucial, especially as it is highly curable with combination chemotherapy, even in higher stage disease. In this report, the authors present two cases of primary splenic HL diagnosed through histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of splenectomy specimens from January 2020 to December 2021 at the Department of Pathology, IPGME&R, Kolkata, India. While reporting the histopathological sections, the authors also considered other differentials such as reactive changes, tuberculosis, and other non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Both patients were male, aged 10 years and 18 years, and presented with abdominal distension and fever, without any palpable peripheral lymph nodes, for the last six months to one year. After chemotherapy, the patients were regularly monitored to identify any signs of recurrence or relapse. Therefore, the initial recognition and proper diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma presenting in the spleen may vary in clinical presentation and morphology, but early accurate diagnosis carries a good prognosis, as survival is best determined by its histopathological type.